Chewy M&M Cookies - Celebrating Sweets (2024)

Published: by Allison · 632 Comments

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These delicious M&M Cookies have chewy edges, soft centers, and they are packed with M&M’s and chocolate chips. This recipe comes together quickly and easily – no chill time required.

These cookies were our first “viral” recipe several years ago. It’s a recipe we have made dozens and dozens of times. These cookies are a reader favorite and a family favorite, and for good reason – because they are incredible!

Chewy M&M Cookies - Celebrating Sweets (1)

If you like cookies with crisp edges and soft centers these are the cookies are for you! I have perfected this recipe (and in the process consumed an unfathomable number of cookies). I have tips for helping them come out PERFECT! Prefer a THICKER COOKIE? THINNER COOKIE? Extra chocolate? Read on, friends!

Prefer the chocolate version: .

Jump to:
  • These cookies are
  • Recipe overview
  • Recipe tips
  • How to make thick or thin cookies
  • How to get perfectly round cookies
  • More cookie recipes
  • Recipe
Chewy M&M Cookies - Celebrating Sweets (2)

These cookies are

  • Made with basic ingredients
  • Soft and chewy
  • Packed with M&M’s and chocolate chips
  • Easy to assemble
  • Always a crowd pleaser
  • Great for holidays or parties- use colored M&M’s based on the theme

Recipe overview

*Full recipe below in the recipe card*

Make the dough by beating butter with granulated sugar and brown sugar. The brown sugar will impart moisture, sweetness, and chew.

Chewy M&M Cookies - Celebrating Sweets (3)

Add egg and vanilla extract.

Chewy M&M Cookies - Celebrating Sweets (4)

Add the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Chewy M&M Cookies - Celebrating Sweets (5)

Stir in M&M’s and chocolate chips.

Chewy M&M Cookies - Celebrating Sweets (6)

Scoop the cookie dough into balls (big or small, see more on that below). Press some additional M&M’s on the dough balls and bake!

Chewy M&M Cookies - Celebrating Sweets (7)

Remove baking sheets from the oven when the cookies are set around the edges, but still underbaked in the center.

Recipe tips

Follow these tips for making the BEST M&M Cookies EVER!

  • Make sure your butter is softened but still cool to the touch. Using butter that is too soft will lead to cookies that spread too much in the oven.
  • Your brown sugar should be soft and fresh. The moisture in the brown sugar helps make these cookies chewy.
  • Mix some of the M&M’s into the batter and press the rest onto the top of the dough balls right before baking. This allows the M&M’s to be more visible, adding a nice pop of color to the cookies. Be generous with the M&M’s, as the cookies bake and spread out the candies will distribute over the top.
  • When pressing M&M’s and chocolate chips into the tops of your dough balls, do NOT press so hard that you flatten the dough balls. When they enter the oven they should still be ball/dome shaped.
  • DO NOT OVER-BAKE! For crisp edges and soft centers, do notwait until these cookies look done to pull them from the oven.Remove themfrom the oven just prior to being done and then they will finish cooking as they cool on the baking sheet.
  • You can make these with regular M&M’s, holiday M&M’s, mini M&M’s, or a combination of M&M’s and chocolate chips.
Chewy M&M Cookies - Celebrating Sweets (8)

How to make thick or thin cookies

For thin cookies:

Bake the cookies right after assembling the dough and use a slightly smaller portion of dough, about 1.5 tablespoons. Also, see my tips for getting perfectly round cookies.

For thicker cookies:

Scoop the dough balls then chill the dough balls in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to one hour before baking. Scoop the dough balls large, about 3 tablespoons of dough, and be sure the dough balls are mounded higher rather than wider. As these bake they will spread, but the center will stay thicker than the edges. Also, see my tips for getting perfectly round cookies.

How to get perfectly round cookies

Option 1: Immediately after the cookies come out of the oven place a round glass, bowl, or cookie cutter (larger than the cookie) upside down over the top of the cookie. Gently but quickly swirl the glass/bowl/cookie cutter in a circular motion. The edges of the cookie will bump against the inside of the glass creating a perfectly round shape. This only works when the cookies are hot, straight from the oven, and still on the warm baking sheet.

Chewy M&M Cookies - Celebrating Sweets (9)

Option 2: Immediately after the cookies come out the oven use the back of a spoon to gently push the edges inward to create clean edges and a round shape.

Holiday M&M cookies

Love M&M cookies? Try these recipes, too: Cookie Mix in a Jar and Christmas Cookies.

Chewy M&M Cookies - Celebrating Sweets (10)
Chewy M&M Cookies - Celebrating Sweets (11)

More cookie recipes

  • Frosted Sugar Cookies
  • Monster Cookies
  • Maple Oatmeal Cookies
  • White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

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Post and photos updated October 2022. Recipe remains the same.

Recipe

Chewy M&M Cookies - Celebrating Sweets (16)

Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies

The BEST Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies. Crisp chewy edges, soft centers and loaded with colorful M&M’s. Everyone goes crazy for these.

4.92 from 545 votes

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Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 9 minutes minutes

Total Time: 29 minutes minutes

Servings: 10 – 20 depending on size

Calories: 190kcal

Author: Allison – Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

  • cups (188g) all purpose flour*, see note
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
  • ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • cup (70g) brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups (total) M&M's and chocolate chips, I use about 1 cup M&M's and ½ cup chips

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

  • In a bowl, whisk together flour (see note), baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

  • Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and both sugars for 1-2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract, mixing until combined and scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. On low speed, add in flour mixture and mix until just combined.

  • Gently stir in M&M's/chocolate chips. Note: I usually add 1 cup (total) into the batter, the rest get pressed on top of the cookie dough balls before baking.

  • Scoop 2-tablespoon portions of dough. Place the dough balls on a plate and transfer to the refrigerator for 30 minutes to one hour (see note about baking without chill time). The longer they chill the thicker the cookies will be. I usually chill the dough balls for 30 minutes while I clean up the kitchen.

  • Using the remaining M&M's/chocolate chips, nestle several (5 or so) onto the top of each mound of dough. Keep in mind that the cookies will spread out while baking.Mound the dough balls so that they're higher rather than wider. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets leaving a couple inches for spreading.

  • Bake for 9-12 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are set but the center is still slightly underdone, this will create a soft cookie. For a crispier cookie, continue baking for another minute or two.See note about shaping the cookies to make them perfectly round.

  • Place the baking sheets on wire racks and allow the cookies to cool completely. They will firm up as they cool.

Video

Notes

*FLOUR:

Flour should be weighed or measured by spooning the flour into your measuring cup and leveling it off.

I recently began making this recipe with 1⅔ cups of flour which results in slightly thicker cookies. This recipe has been published for a decade, with lots of reviews, so I’m leaving it as originally written (1½ cups flour) but feel free to bump up the flour by a couple tablespoons if your dough seems thin or you prefer thicker cookies.

CHILL TIME:

The cookie dough can be baked right away but the cookies will be on the thinner side. I find that a short chill time produces a better, slightly thicker, result.

HOW TO GET ROUND COOKIES:

Option 1: Immediately after the cookies come out of the oven place a round glass, bowl, or cookie cutter (larger than the cookie) upside down over the top of the cookie (see photo below). Gently but quickly swirl the glass/bowl/cookie cutter in a circular motion. The edges of the cookie will bump against the inside of the glass creating a perfectly round shape. Note: This only works when the cookies are hot, straight from the oven, and still on the warm baking sheet.

Chewy M&M Cookies - Celebrating Sweets (17)

Option 2: Immediately after the cookies come out the oven use the back of a spoon to gently push the edges inward to create clean edges and a round shape.

HOLIDAY VARIATIONS:

You can make these with regular M&M’s, holiday M&M’s, mini M&M’s, or a combination of M&M’s and chocolate chips. If you’re using a color theme you can also dip the top of each dough ball in colored sprinkles before baking.

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Nutrition

Calories: 190kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 72mg | Potassium: 38mg | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 190IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 0.7mg

Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.

Chewy M&M Cookies - Celebrating Sweets (19) Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!

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Comments

  1. Lynn

    Chewy M&M Cookies - Celebrating Sweets (20)
    These turned out great! I did 1 tbsp cookies and they were perfect at 8.5 mins. Made 30 cookies.

    Reply

  2. Clinton

    Chewy M&M Cookies - Celebrating Sweets (21)
    These turned out really great! Instead of chocolate chips, used a full 1.5 cups of M&Ms and it turned out just as good.

    Only change I needed to make was cooking them an extra 1-2 minutes (between 12 and 14 minutes total). This may have been because of my pans or size of cookies. But, at that time they turned out just right, chewy, and not burnt at all. Just watch them in the oven to see if you need extra time or not!

    Reply

    • Allison

      Thanks for sharing your experience. 🙂

      Reply

    • Kami

      What kind of chocolate chips do you prefer/use in this recipe?

      Reply

      • Allison

        I most often use Ghirardelli or Guittard but I’ve also used Nestle Toll House with great results.

  3. Preston

    what is the severing size?

    Reply

    • Allison

      One cookie.

      Reply

  4. Scottie Lea

    Chewy M&M Cookies - Celebrating Sweets (22)
    I would like to bake these in advance. How long are they good for after baked?

    Reply

    • Allison

      I think they’re best within 2 days of making them. Any longer than that I’d suggest sticking them in the freezer.

      Reply

  5. Nancy Stupi

    Chewy M&M Cookies - Celebrating Sweets (23)
    I made these a couple nights ago and they were so beautiful and delish! I made them for Valentines Day. I made them again today, using a GF flour (278g) as a gift for a family member and they came out beautifully as well! I made them smaller than the original (57g) so obvi I got more of them made, a total of 16. They baked for 14 minutes and were perfect. The original ones I made were larger (3T) and baked a really long time but finally were finished and they looked gorgeous! Thank you for much for sharing your easy to work with and adaptable recipe. I’m sure it’ll be a go to recipe from here on out!

    Reply

    • Allison

      That’s great to hear! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

      Reply

  6. A

    Chewy M&M Cookies - Celebrating Sweets (24)
    Love this recipe! I’ve been using this both for Christmas cookies and for “special” “infused” cookies to gift to my close friends for over a year now and they never miss. I make and freeze the dough without the chips or M&M’s then I add whatever mix-ins I feel like adding when I’m ready to bake them. The dough lasts for at least 6 months in the freezer.

    Reply

    • Allison

      Thanks for the kind review! I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂

      Reply

  7. Kristine Peters

    How many cookies does this recipe make?

    Reply

    • Allison

      10-20 depending on how big you scoop the dough.

      Reply

  8. Amy

    Chewy M&M Cookies - Celebrating Sweets (25)
    I give this recipe a solid 4, the cookies are good but I do find them a little bland, I think they needed a little more brown sugar instead of more white sugar. Will definitely try again!

    Reply

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Chewy M&M Cookies - Celebrating Sweets (26)Hi, I'm Allison! I'm a busy wife and mom with a passion for cooking and baking. This is where you'll find my favorite homemade recipes, designed to help you make every day delicious! Read more....

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FAQs

What is the secret to chewy cookies? ›

Cornstarch helps product soft and thick cookies. Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie. An extra egg yolk increases chewiness. Rolling the cookie dough balls to be tall and lumpy instead of wide and smooth gives the cookies a bakery-style textured thickness.

What are 3 factors that contribute to a chewy cookie? ›

The ingredients you use and how you shape your cookies both play an important role in whether your cookies turn out crispy or chewy. The type of flour and sugar you use, if your cookie dough contains eggs, and whether you use melted or softened butter all factor into the crispy-chewy equation, too.

What can cause a cookie to be too chewy or not chewing enough? ›

Brown sugar—particularly dark brown sugar—makes a cookie chewy; white sugar makes it crispy. If your recipe calls for all white sugar and you want a fudgier result, try swapping out some of the white sugar for brown (go for half and half and adjust from there).

What makes cookies crispy instead of chewy? ›

How to Make Crispy Cookies. While brown sugar keeps your cookies moist and soft, white sugar and corn syrup will help your cookies spread and crisp in the oven. Using more white sugar in your cookies will result in a crispier end product. To achieve a crispy cookie, skip the rest in the fridge.

Does melting butter make cookies chewy? ›

For chewier cookies and bars, we melt our butter instead of following the usual procedure of creaming softened butter with sugar. This simple switch frees up the water content of the butter so that it can freely interact with the flour in the dough or batter.

Does baking soda make cookies chewy? ›

Baking soda is generally about three times stronger than baking powder, so adjust your recipe accordingly. Baking soda and baking powder can produce cookies with different textures. Baking soda is typically used for chewy cookies, while baking powder is generally used for light and airy cookies.

What is the best flour for chewy cookies? ›

Bread flour has a high protein content, which may result in cookies with a chewy texture. It provides more structure than other flours and can give cookies that satisfying, bread-like bite.

What makes cookies cakey vs chewy? ›

The only difference between crisp and cakey chocolate chip cookies is a slight modification to the recipe measurements. Simply adjust the amounts of butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Begin by measuring out the butter and sugar amounts for your favorite cookie texture, then proceed with the rest of the recipe below.

What ingredient makes cookies harder? ›

Baking powder

Baking powder contains sodium bicarbonate and acidic salts. The reaction of these two ingredients results in a cookie that is soft and thick, but slightly harder.

What does egg yolk do for cookies? ›

Egg yolks are high in fat in relation to the egg white which is high in protein so often acts as a binder. Adding egg yolks to the cookies yields a super tender, chewy cookie. Egg Yolk Cookies are slightly richer in flavour from the additional fat from the yolk.

How do you make cookies soft and chewy again? ›

Another way to soften cookies is by placing the cookies in an airtight container with a damp paper towel. The paper towel will release moisture and help to soften the cookies without making them too soft or mushy. Another way is to place the cookies in a plastic bag with a slice of apple or a damp tea towel.

How do you make cookies soft and chewy vs hard and crisp? ›

chewy vs crispy is a combination of 2 things… ratio of fats to flour, and baking times/temps.. for more chewy cake like cookies, you want something with a high fat, content cooked at a lower longer temperature… for a more crispy or dryer cooking you want a lower fat batter cooked at a high temperature.

Does butter make cookies softer? ›

Butter gives flavor, tenderness and flaky layers to baked goods. It can also bring a bit of structure and rise. For instance, a chocolate chip cookie dough incorporates butter and sugar to incorporate air into the final result.

What makes cookies chewy butter or shortening? ›

But, it turns out that margarine or vegetable shortening is the secret to chewy cookies. I still make mine with butter, though.

What ingredient contributes most to the texture of a crisp cookie? ›

Fat is a very important ingredient in cookies – it tenderizes, crisps and browns, adds color and a wonderful flavor that is impossible to duplicate. Butter, our fat of choice, ensures good baking results and adds the most desirable taste, texture and appearance.

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